AOTA member spotlight: Matthew Maynard, OTD, OTR/L, ATP, ECHM, CAPS

Matthew Maynard, OTD, OTR/L, ATP, ECHM, CAPS, is an Occupational Therapist with experience across a variety of practice settings, including short-term rehabilitation, home modification consultation, and community-based fall risk reduction initiatives. In addition to his current role at the Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Maynard volunteers locally and collaborates with community agencies to advance safety and accessibility in the home environment.  

He spoke to Jamar Haggans, MS, OTR/L, CPHQ, FNAP, Director of Quality at AOTA, about his current position and journey into the field of quality improvement.

The views and opinions expressed by Dr. Maynard in this interview are his own and do not represent those of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

Jamar Haggans: How did you become interested in quality?

Matthew Maynard: My interest in quality improvement developed while completing my post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree in 2020. During that time, connecting with a fellow student, Julie Malloy, who was doing work on quality at AOTA helped me better understand how quality improvement can shape occupational therapy practice, service delivery, and even legislation.

For my capstone, I focused on quality improvement and telehealth delivery with a focus on identifying and addressing barriers to access. Given the rapid transition to telehealth in response to Covid, I saw many veterans who were older, rural, medically complex that had difficulty connecting. That work has continued to evolve in different forms since graduation.

Jamar Haggans: What is your role now?

Matthew Maynard: My current role has several components. A large part of my work involves providing Home Based Primary Care occupational therapy services to veterans. Much of my focus is on supporting veterans with medical complexity and travel limitations so they can safely age in place. Quality improvement principles guide my approach, particularly in home safety, care coordination, and improving access to services.

I also help with various quality improvement projects in my department. This includes ensuring new employees are prepared to navigate telehealth with the populations that we serve.

In addition, I collaborate with our research department. Through current grant funding, I help support the provision of digital literacy education, internet connectivity, and connected devices for veterans in need. I am also preparing to submit a grant focused on understanding how caregivers support digital connectivity for older veterans.

Jamar Haggans: Can you speak about some of the quality initiatives you have been a part of?

Matthew Maynard: My first major quality improvement project was the capstone I completed during graduate school.

Since graduation, my quality work has expanded in several directions. One of the most impactful experiences was being selected for the VA Quality Scholars program, which provided protected time to deepen my training in quality improvement methodology, with a particular focus on rural health care settings.

During that fellowship, I participated in both national and local quality initiatives. Among the most meaningful were:

Exploring gaps in toxic exposure screening for Veterans in Iowa City, with the goal of improving identification and follow-up processes.

Earning my Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. My project focused on optimizing the role of occupational therapy in identifying and addressing unmet digital connectivity needs. We implemented a screening process within our program to ensure digital health access needs were identified and addressed. I view digital navigation as an instrumental activity of daily living, as it is foundational to health management, social engagement, and access to services in today's health care environment.

Assuming a national quality role within Home Based Primary Care, supporting measures related to home oxygen safety and home safety assessments. This work operates under the External Peer Review Program and promotes high standards of care, safety, and documentation across sites.

After the two-year fellowship, I completed a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt project focused on improving communication between home health agencies and primary care teams. We identified communication breakdowns contributing to missed opportunities for timely service provision and worked to clarify processes to support safer, more coordinated care.

Jamar Haggans: How has Lean Six Sigma influenced how you approach quality improvement initiatives?

Lean Six Sigma changed the way I look at problems. Earlier in my career, when something wasn't working, I tended to jump quickly to solutions. The methodology forced me to slow down and define the problem clearly before trying to fix it.

In my work at the VA, I began to see how often we were reacting to symptoms rather than understanding the process. Lean thinking helped me map the workflow, capitalize on value-added components, and eliminate waste.

Six Sigma pushed me to look at variation. Why did this referral process work smoothly with one team but fall apart with another? What was different?

It also shifted how I view change. Improvement is not just a technical problem, it is a human one. The tools gave me structure, but the real work was listening to nurses, providers, and administrators who were frustrated with the system. I learned that sustainable change requires clarity, shared ownership, and patience. The framework gives me confidence in complex situations because I am no longer guessing. I am working from data, defined processes, and a clear aim.

Jamar Haggans: What advice would you give other practitioners who are interested in quality improvement?

Matthew Maynard: Start where you are. Look for opportunities to solve small problems or contribute to existing initiatives. Those early experiences build the skills and confidence needed to address larger system-level issues.

I would also encourage practitioners to seek mentors, whether in clinical practice, quality methodology, or change management. Mentorship can strengthen areas of uncertainty and accelerate growth. Quality improvement is a team effort, and learning from others is one of the most valuable steps you can take.